Japan is a popular destination for Taiwanese families with children, and about one-quarter of Taiwanese younger than 12 years old visited Japan last year, the Tourism Bureau said.
Last year, there were 596,071 visits to Japan from Taiwan by children under 12, making it the leading overseas destination for that demographic, the bureau said.
“That is nearly five times the number of visits to the second-most popular destination, China,” it said.
Photo: AFP
Taiwan last year had a population of 2.37 million children under 12, according to statistics from the Executive Yuan, meaning that one in four Taiwanese children traveled to Japan, it said.
“Children are less tolerant of long flights, so nearby Japan is an ideal choice for a family vacation,” Taipei City University Tourism Department assistant professor Lee Chi-yueh (李奇嶽) said yesterday.
“There is a minimal time difference traveling to Japan, and it also has a similar food culture to Taiwan,” he said.
Taiwanese also find Japan’s metropolitan areas to be convenient due to a well-developed public transportation system, he said, adding that Taiwanese children tend to have an affinity for Japan, as they grow up watching Japanese cartoons.
Japan also offers numerous family-friendly entertainment facilities, such as Disneyland and Universal Studios, making it a long-standing favorite for family trips, he said.
Statistics from tourism industry operators show that Osaka, Tokyo and Okinawa are the most popular destinations for Taiwanese families, and many of those who join tour groups also travel as a family.
Lion Travel said that more than 30 percent of group travelers visiting Japan in the summer last year brought children along. That number would potentially rise with the opening of Okinawa’s JUNGLIA jungle theme park, which is expected to open in the second half of this year, it said.
In anticipation of a surge in summer travelers, the company was planning to expand its family travel products and offer discounts of up to NT$10,000 for children, it said.
Cola Tour also found Tokyo and Osaka to be top choices for family travel due to their theme parks, the company said.
“Additionally, with Osaka hosting the World Expo this year and airlines launching direct flights to Kobe’s international airport, demand for summer travel to Japan is likely to increase,” it said.
Okinawa has also been a popular destination with its customers, with many citing the short flight time of only one-and-a-half hours from Taiwan, and departures available from northern, central and southern Taiwan as a key reason.
“Okinawa is particularly attractive for first-time parents planning a family trip. Nearly half of the passengers on summer flights to Okinawa are children,” it said.
Travelers in their 20s also formed a large group of those visiting Japan last year, numbering 905,445 in total, while those in their 30s formed the largest group at 1.28 million, the bureau said.
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